Pallet

ABSTRACT

A metal pallet including a deck member that forms an upper surface of the pallet and a sidewall disposed on each side of the pallet. Each sidewall is a unitary structure that is shaped to extend vertically from the bottom of the pallet and underneath the deck member to form a fluid gutter that enables standing fluids to be easily drained from the pallet. Bottom support beams are disposed on the bottom of the pallet on each end between the sidewalls. Each bottom support beam includes downwardly angled edges that enable the tines of a forklift or hand truck to easily roll into the pallet. A bumper is provided to protect the ends of the deck member and the sidewalls may include openings to allow four-way entry into the pallet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to pallets used to support heavy items or equipment, or large numbers of discrete items such as bags or boxes, for movement by a hand truck or forklift, and more particularly to pallets made of metal rather than wood. Even more particularly, the invention relates to metal pallets having an integrated fluid gutter that enables fluids to be easily drained from the pallet and tapered edges on the bottom support beams that make it easier for the tines of a hand truck or forklift to enter into the pallet.

Pallets for supporting objects are well known. The most common pallet is wooden and comprises two planar deck members composed of sheets or individual slats, the deck members being separated by upright supports to allow for insertion of the tines of a hand truck or forklift between the deck members so that the pallet can be raised and moved to a different location. Another common pallet construction utilizes a single deck member supported by legs, the legs properly spaced to allow for insertion of the tines beneath the deck member. Wooden pallets, while cheap to manufacture, have a limited life under the best circumstances, are readily susceptible to damage and decay, are difficult to dispose of or recycle, and have limited support capacity.

To solve these problems, metal pallets have been developed--the metal material providing longer life, less likelihood of damage and degradation, and increased support capacity. A problem with metal pallets is that the pallet itself is heavier and the materials and methods of construction are costlier than for a wooden pallet. To address the weight issue, metal pallets have been developed where the deck member is formed by intersecting bars or rods to define the grid or grate as the upper surface rather than having a solid or extended upper surface to bear the goods.

Examples of these pallets are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,095,292 and 6,369,342, both issued to Buck. Buck discloses a grated pallet deck formed by the intersection of plural rod members and flat bar members where the rod members are embedded in the flat members so that the upper surface of the rod members is even with the upper surface of the flat bar members.

The pallet disclosed by Buck, however, does not include a mechanism for efficiently draining water and other fluids from the pallet. For example, when the metal pallets are washed, it is desirous to remove all standing and excess fluid from the pallet so that it can dry more quickly. Also, the pallet disclosed by Buck does not provide an easy means for the tines of a forklift or hand truck to easily slide into the pallet so it can be raised and moved to a different location. Further, the pallet disclosed by Buck does not include a means for minimizing damage to the pallet when the tines of a forklift or hand truck slide into the pallet.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved pallet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is better understood by a reading of the Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments along with a review of the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pallet constructed according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the pallet of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a pallet constructed according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the pallet of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides a metal pallet 10 for supporting a relatively large weight or large numbers of discrete items, where the pallet 10 includes a deck member 12 maintained sufficient distance from the floor or ground to allow for entry of the tines from a hand truck or forklift beneath the deck member in order to lift and move the pallet 10. The pallet 10 may be formed from aluminum, steel, stainless steel, similar metal components, or combinations thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the pallet 10 is formed from extruded aluminum components and the joints between the components are welded using standard aluminum MIG welding techniques or other suitable fastening means to create a strong and rigid finished product.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the deck member 12 of the pallet 10 is supported a short distance from the ground or floor in a horizontally disposed manner. Sidewalls 14 are provided on each side of the pallet 10. Each sidewall 14 is preferably formed of a unitary piece of extruded aluminum that is formed into shape so that it extends vertically from the bottom of the pallet 10, abuts the bottom of the deck member 12, then forms a gap underneath the bottom of the deck member 12 to create a fluid gutter 16, and then extends vertically along the side of the deck member 12 so that the top thin edge of the sidewall 14 is generally on the same horizontal plane as the top of the deck member 12. Because the sidewalls 14 run the length of the sides of the pallet 10, the fluid gutter 16 formed between the sidewalls 14 and the bottom of the deck member 12 also runs the length of the sides of the pallet 10. Such gutter 16 enables fluids to be easily drained from the pallet 10 when it is washed, for example, to eliminate rusting and bacteria from forming on the pallet 10 due to standing fluid. A bumper 17 is also provided that wraps around the edge of the deck member 12 on each end to minimize damage to the deck 12 during use of the pallet 10.

At the bottom of the pallet 10, bottom support beams 18 are disposed between the sidewalls 14 at each end of the pallet 10. A center support beam 20 may also be provided for additional support in the center of the pallet 10 such that the center support beam 20 is parallel to the bottom support beams 18. In a preferred embodiment, the bottom support beams 18 and center support beam 20 include angled lead-in edges 22. Preferably, each edge of the bottom support beams 18 angles downwards towards the floor at about a 45° angle. The angled edges of the bottom support beams 18 and center beam 20 make it easier for rollers on the bottom of forklift and hand truck tines to roll into the pallet 10 by lessening the amount of resistance that would be associated with a 90° step.

A center rail 22 may also be provided in the pallet to provide additional support for the deck member 12. The center rail 22 is disposed between the bottom of the deck member 12 and the top of the bottom support beams 18 such that the center rail 22 is parallel to the sidewalls 14. Both ends of the pallet 10 are left open to enable the insertion of hand truck or forklift tines. In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the sidewalls 14 and center rail 22 may include openings 24 to enable the tines to enter the pallet from the sides of the pallet 10, thereby making the pallet a four-way entry pallet. In this embodiment, a plurality of vertical supports 26 are disposed alongside the openings 24 in the sidewalls 14 to provide additional load support for the pallet 10.

The deck member 12 may be a grated deck, a smooth deck, or semi-smooth deck, all of which are known in the art. For example, the upper surface of the deck may be formed with a sheet of corrugated aluminum or with slats having small spaces between them. As show in FIGS. 1-4, one embodiment of the present invention incorporates a grated deck. The grated deck is formed by plural number of rod members 30 intersecting with a plural number of flat bar members 32, where each of the flat bar members 32 is positioned on edge with one of its elongated thin edges being the top surface. Preferably the rod members 30 are aligned in parallel to each other and the flat bar members 32 are aligned in parallel to each other, with the flat bar members 32 aligned perpendicularly to the rod members 30.

Also in a preferred embodiment, each flat bar member 32 includes a plurality of apertures spaced along the length of the flat bar members 32. The spacing of the apertures is preferably the same for each flat bar member 32 in the deck. When the deck is being manufactured, the rod members 30 are forced through the apertures in the flat bar members 32 to form a grid of perpendicularly intersecting rod members 30 and flat bar members 32. It is preferred that the shape of the apertures in the flat bar members 32 be substantially the same shape as the cross section of the rod members 30. For example, if the rod members 30 have a diamond shaped cross section then the apertures in the flat bar members 32 would be substantially the same shape. In such case, the ends of the rod members 30 may be crimped on both ends to prevent the rod members 30 from moving once they are inserted through the flat bar members 32. The resulting deck 12 is such that the top surfaces of the rod members 30 are positioned below the top surfaces of the flat bar members 32.

Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the forgoing description of the present invention. All such modifications and improvements of the present invention have been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability but are properly within the scope of the following claims. 

1. A metal pallet comprising: a deck member that forms an upper surface of the pallet; and a sidewall disposed on each side of the pallet, each sidewall being a unitary structure that is shaped to extend vertically from the bottom of the pallet and underneath the deck member to form a fluid gutter.
 2. The pallet of claim 1 further comprising at least two bottom support beams, wherein one of the bottom support beams is disposed on each end of the pallet and extends between the sidewalls.
 3. The pallet of claim 2 wherein each of the bottom support beams includes a downwardly angled edge on each side of the bottom support beam.
 4. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the sidewalls are formed of extruded aluminum.
 5. The pallet of claim 1 wherein the deck member is a grated deck formed by the intersection of a plural number of parallel rod members with a plural number of parallel flat bar members.
 6. The pallet of claim 1 wherein a top surface of the deck member is substantially smooth.
 7. The pallet of claim 1 wherein a top surface of the deck member is semi-smooth.
 8. The pallet of claim 1 further comprising a bumper disposed on each end of the deck member.
 9. The pallet of claim 1 wherein each sidewall includes openings to allow the tines of a forklift or handtruck to enter the pallet from the sides of the pallet.
 10. The pallet of claim 9 further comprising vertical supports that provide load support for the deck member and are disposed alongside the openings in each sidewall of the pallet.
 11. A metal pallet comprising: a deck member that forms an upper surface of the pallet; and a sidewall disposed on each side of the pallet; at least two bottom support beams, wherein one of the bottom support beams is disposed on each end of the pallet and extends between the sidewalls; wherein each of the bottom support beams includes a downwardly angled edge on each side of the bottom support beam.
 12. A metal pallet comprising: a deck member that forms an upper surface of the pallet; a sidewall disposed on each side of the pallet, each sidewall being a unitary structure that is shaped to extend vertically from the bottom of the pallet and underneath the deck member to form a fluid gutter; and at least two bottom support beams, wherein one of the bottom support beams is disposed on each end of the pallet and extends between the sidewalls; wherein each of the bottom support beams includes a downwardly angled edge on each side of the bottom support beam.
 13. The pallet of claim 12 wherein the deck member is a grated deck and wherein the grated deck is formed by the intersection of a plural number of parallel rod members with a plural number of parallel flat bar members; wherein the flat bar members each have a top surface and an elongated thin edge and positioned such that the elongated thin edge defines the top surface of the flat bar members; wherein the flat bar members each have a plurality of apertures spaced along the length of the flat bar members and extending through the flat bar members; and wherein the rod members extend through the apertures in the flat bar members. 